The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for determining the location of a medication container. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for verifying that medications have been delivered to the proper target destination before they are administered or consumed.
Hospitals distribute medications (or “meds”) to their patients on a routine basis. A typical distribution begins with a physician writing a prescription for a particular patient. The prescription is often filled by an in-hospital pharmacy and then picked up from the pharmacy and hand delivered to the patient's room, where the medication is administered to the patient by a doctor, a nurse or other qualified caregiver. In any event, the typical distribution system relies on a human chain of custody to ensure that medications dispensed from the pharmacy eventually are delivered to the correct patients. Therefore, there is a need to verify that medications have been delivered to the proper patient before they are administered or consumed.
The present invention fulfills the above need, among others, by providing an apparatus and method for tracking medications in a hospital. In one illustrative embodiment, the apparatus includes a transmitter and an activation device operably coupled to the transmitter for selectively activating the transmitter. The activation device is configured to deactivate the transmitter when the activation device is secured through a hanging hole in an intravenous bag and is configured to activate the transmitter when the activation device is secured to a solid web tab in the intravenous bag. The apparatus further includes a hanging hole securing device configured to secure the transmitter through the hanging hole formed in the intravenous bag. The apparatus further includes a solid web tab securing device configured to secure the transmitter to a solid web tab of an intravenous bag, wherein the solid web tab securing device is configured to activate the transmitter when the activation device is secured to the solid web tab. Illustratively, the transmitter comprises at least one of an infrared transmitter and a radio frequency transmitter.
In a further illustrative embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a housing having opposing front and rear walls, and defining interior and exterior surfaces. The rear wall includes a housing aperture extending therethrough between the interior and exterior surfaces. A fastener is connected to the exterior surface of the rear wall of the housing and includes a fastener aperture. The apparatus further includes a switch having a base supported by the housing and a crown extendable into both the housing aperture and the fastener aperture. The switch is operable between at least a first position and a second position. A transmitter is operably coupled to the switch, wherein positioning of the switch in the first position deactivates the transmitter and positioning of the switch in the second position activates the transmitter.
Illustratively, the switch is in the first position when the crown extends into both the housing aperture and the fastener aperture, and the switch is in the second position when the crown does not extend into the fastener aperture.
In a further illustrative embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a housing, a transmitter supported by the housing, and an activation device supported by the housing and configured to selectively activate the transmitter. A fastener is supported by the housing and is configured to cooperate with the activation device wherein the fastener causes the activation device to selectively activate the transmitter depending upon the relative position of the fastener on an intravenous bag.
Illustratively, the fastener causes the activation device to deactivate the transmitter when the fastener cooperates with the activation device to secure the housing through a hanging hole of the intravenous bag. Further illustratively, the fastener causes the activation device to activate the transmitter when the fastener secures the housing to a solid web tab of the intravenous bag.
Illustratively, the fastener includes a fastener aperture and the activation device includes a switch having a crown configured to be received within the fastener aperture, the crown of the switch being operable between at least a first position and a second position, the first position causing the transmitter to deactivate and the second position causing the transmitter to activate. In the first position, the crown of the switch passes through the hanging hole of the intravenous bag, and in the second position, the crown of the switch engages the solid web tab of the intravenous bag.
In another illustrative embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention includes a container housing, a lid connected to the container housing for relative movement therewith, and a transmitter operably connected to at least one of the container housing and the lid. An associating device is configured to associate at least one of the container housing and the lid with a target destination.
Illustratively, a switch is operably coupled to the transmitter and is configured to selectively activate the transmitter. The switch may comprise a photosensor configured to be actuated by ambient light.
Further illustratively, the apparatus comprises a verification device configured to verify that the target designation equals an actual destination of the medication container.
In another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided which includes the steps of tagging medications, associating a tracking device with a target destination, delivering the tagged medications to an actual destination, activating the tracking device, and verifying that the actual destination is the target destination. The step of associating may be implemented through software communicating with hardware via a bar code, a radio frequency (RF) communication, or an infrared (IR) communication.
An alternative illustrative embodiment of the method includes the steps of tagging the medications, activating a tracking device, associating the tracking device with a target destination, tracking the tagged medications to an actual destination, and verifying that the actual destination is the target destination. Again, the step of associating may be implemented through software communicating with hardware, a bar code, an RF communication, or an IR communication.
The features and advantages of the present invention described above, as well as additional features and advantages, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and referring to the accompanying drawings.